Repercussions:  Human Values
by Aesop
Summary: Gargoyles 14:  Sevarius' handiwork creates problems for everyone.


**REPERCUSSIONS: Human Values**

By Aesop

I don't own the characters from the Gargoyles TV show, or those introduced in the fic series 'Gargoyle Saga'. I'm using them without permission, but I earn no profit by writing this.

"I've had a lot of experience, more than I care to remember, in delivering bad news. I've told the families of cops that their son, daughter, husband died in the line of duty. I've had to tell parents their child is dead, but I've never had to tell a family anything like this."

The other woman nodded her understanding. "There's no way of knowing what they'll do when they're told. There is no 'best way' to handle this." She shook her head, but otherwise offered no comment. "As callous as it sounds, I have to think about how their reaction will affect the clan. We still have secrets to keep. If they go public…" She dropped her eyes. "I shouldn't even be thinking about that. I…"

"It's a valid concern Elisa." Her captain leaned back in her chair and regarded the younger woman carefully. "Are they likely to go public? Would anyone believe it? Would they be willing to put their children on display as proof? Because that is what they'd have to do."

"That's true. I hope it won't come to that though." She thought back to her meetings with Mr. and Mrs. Muller and with the Hopkins, Sean's foster parents. The two couldn't be more dissimilar. "I have to decide how to handle this before I speak to them, but I just have no way of knowing how they'll react." Elisa paused, looking glumly down at her captain's desk for a time, trying desperately to think of some advantage, some way to make the best of their current mess. "I guess," she finally raised her head, "its time to find out."

"Where are the kids now? Still with Derek?"

"No. I borrowed a van from Xanatos and brought them to the castle. The shelter is no place for children. Derek runs a safe place, but I think being around the clan will be good for them. They still don't know what to believe about gargoyles, but at least they're willing to give the clan a chance."

Susan was at any rate. Sean was still extremely suspicious of gargoyles, but he wasn't any more trusting of the homeless people in the shelter and certainly wasn't going to leave his sister. He had also made it clear he didn't trust her.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I don't trust you."

Elisa sighed. They had been over this. "What happened at Sevarius' office was an accident. The officer panicked." Patience strained in spite of her sympathy for his situation, Elisa took a discreet calming breath and tried again. "He'd never seen a gargoyle before, and he never expec-"

"I'm not a gargoyle!" He glanced at Susan as if suddenly remembering her. Susan didn't say anything. "We're not gargoyles."

"I know, but that's not what people will think when they see you. I don't know what else to do. I can take you somewhere you'll be safe, protected. The doctor you met last night will be able to help you. Hopefully he'll be able to get you back to normal." When he still looked unconvinced she asked, "what do you want to do Sean? Strike out on your own? Stay here?"

Sean merely looked stubborn, not having an answer. "I want to be normal again." He glanced at his sister. "I guess we don't have a lot of choice." Susan didn't respond. Her wing had almost completely healed while she slept. No scar remained and only an occasional twinge reminded her that there had ever been anything wrong. "Susan?" She hated being called Sue or Suzy. It had to be Susan. Finally she looked up at him.

"I don't like it here." That was enough for Sean. He agreed to go, but he noticed when she seemed to drift away again. "Sis? What is it? I-" He stopped. "Sorry. Stupid question. You just…" Suddenly she looked up again.

"I'm seeing my parents today."

OOOOOOOOOO

Xanatos had welcomed them to the castle himself and Elisa, after assuring herself that they felt safe and weren't going to try to take off, had headed to work to meet with Chavez.

They had been over it repeatedly, examining it from all angles. All of the potential problems and responses had been discussed. Possible scenarios were worked through to their logical conclusions, at least as fare as was possible. Elisa had done this with the gargoyles while Fox sat in, offering her expertise in dealing with the media. Elisa had been inclined, in fact they all had been inclined, to shy away from the more pragmatic solutions to their dilemma. Certain 'solutions' they all agreed were not solutions at all. Finally, it had all been said. There was nothing left for Maria Chavez to say except, "good luck."

OOOOOOOOOO

Hunter scowled fiercely; even knowing that the person he was talking to couldn't see it. He wasn't sure it would have done any good had his informant been able to see him, as it was likely the young woman working at one of the Illuminati's field offices, actually didn't know anything. "I see. Thank you for your assistance." He replaced the handset without slamming it.

There was no direct evidence that his investigation into Sevarius' escape was being blocked, but it wasn't making any headway either. The Illuminati had assured him they would put what resources they could into finding the scientist, but in the wake of the revelations that came to light in New Jersey when agents of the FBI had raided Malon's lab, the resources the Illuminati could devote to the search were limited.

Hunter didn't regret his manipulations of the Illuminati. At the time there had been no other way, but now it was coming back to bite him, just as he had known it would. He bore no ill will toward his brother for any lingering resentment over the incident, but the consequences were irritating nonetheless. Those consequences took the form of a reluctance to share information, a hesitancy on the part of the organization to lend their support to his efforts no matter how necessary they were.

To be fair, there was truth to their claims of limited resources, and it was partly his fault. The raid on Malon had created problems that could not have been fully anticipated at the time. The mutates at the facility had no memory of having ever been human, but they had to have come from somewhere. Theories were flying every which way, some of which had to be quashed. That was taking a surprising amount of time and effort, and still no one knew quite what to do with the mutates themselves.

They were being kept in the public eye as much as possible to ensure that they did not simply vanish, but the public's attention span was short. Letting them roam freely was out of the question it seemed. The Quarrymen had largely disappeared, but there were plenty that shared their beliefs.

Even if that hadn't been the case they were still being 'studied.' The fact that they had once been human had to be carefully concealed. Hunter wasn't sure he agreed with the decision, but he was the first to admit that he couldn't predict the reaction of the general public.

Keeping the situation from degenerating into chaos was a full time job for some of the Society's most talented 'spin doctors' and there was still the Unseelie to worry about. To the Illuminati, Hunter had quickly realized, Sevarius must seem like a small problem.

He shook his head, one insoluble problem at a time. It seemed unlikely that anyone could drop off the map so completely that the Illuminati could not find them, but it had only been a day since Sevarius had last been sighted. Chances were he was laying low in some hotel or apartment rented under a false identity. The police were conducting a methodical search for him and, given time, they would find him. He would have to run to avoid capture, and it was impossible to hide completely while on the run. It would just be a matter of time.

OOOOOOOOOO

Sean looked around Castle Wyvern's main hall. It was pretty cool, he had to admit, living in a castle. A considerable improvement over the sewers. He still wasn't sure what to make of the people though. Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos were nice enough although a little brusque. They weren't, he thought, quite sure what to do with them. Owen gave him the creeps, plain and simple. Something just wasn't right about that guy.

He and Susan each had been given a bedroom, and both were shown around the castle and told to consider it home, but it was clear that he wasn't the only one who had no clue as to what came next.

The Hopkins had not insisted on seeing him. That was both a relief and a disappointment. They didn't really care what happened to him. All it took was detective Maza telling them that he would require expensive medical treatment, and they were happy to pass him off to someone, anyone, else.

That just left Susan's parents to deal with. He wished he was there, but she had wanted to do it herself. _It's okay. I understand, not part of the family._ And he did understand, he supposed. Brother or not, she barely knew him. Neither of them was quite sure what it meant to have a brother or sister. It would take time. He knew that on one level, but it didn't make it any easier.

In the course of a single week his life had been turned upside down. He had been kidnapped by a madman; _movie of the week there_. He had lost one home, _not much of one really_. He had discovered that he had a sister and even a mother, _neither of whom want anything to do with me_. And, _oh yeah, I've been turned into a monster._ Definitely a week to remember.

The others insisted he wasn't a monster of course. No surprise there as most of them were monsters themselves. Gargoyles. Wrapping his brain around it was proving impossible. Before meeting Sevarius he hadn't given a second thought to gargoyles, and when he did think about them, he had half believed that it was some kind of hoax.

_And the joke is on me,_ he thought morosely. Wandering the halls of the castle with no real goal in mind, not even the exploration that had originally been his reason for leaving his room eventually brought him to the library. It was daytime and the castle was deserted. At least it seemed deserted. The gargoyle wing was as modern and comfortable as the rest of the castle. That surprised him for some reason. It might, he realized, have something to do with the loincloths they wore. The gargoyles, monsters or not, were hard to get used to, and he doubted that he would ever get used to being one. Reading didn't really appeal. He needed to be in motion.

His next discovery of note was a private gym. For lack of anything better to do, and thinking that a little exercise might help distract him from his problems, he set about seeing what his new body could do, how much he could lift and how often. It worked to a degree, but he still found himself wondering what Susan was doing.

OOOOOOOOOO

Susan Muller smiled up at her parents. They had been staring at her blankly, but took a step back when she smiled. She felt a flutter of panic in her stomach. Were they going to run? Why? Then she remembered. "Oops," she said, trying to keep her tone light, "I forgot about the teeth. They are a bit sharp aren't they?"

"S-susan?" her father asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, daddy, it's me." She spread her arms, but left her wings caped. "I know I look really different, but it's still me." She wasn't sure how convincing that sounded, wasn't sure she believed that claim herself. Chris Muller stared at the creature before him, unsure what to believe. There was a resemblance to his daughter, and the voice was right, but how could it be her?

"What? How?" Not feeling particularly articulate, he let it end there.

"Susan?" Irene took a step towards her daughter. "I-is it you?"

"Unfortunately," she nodded. "Did detective Maza tell you what happened?" Questions are good, she decided, one for another. _Try to stay calm. Don't panic. They aren't running away._

"Well… sort of… She said we wouldn't believe if she just told us…" Her mother broke off, lost. "Is it you?"

"It is mom." _They don't believe me! They're gonna run off and leave me and never… How do I prove it? Wait!_ The panic that began to well up in her at the thought that they wouldn't believe her receded. Detective Maza had told her something… something. "Do you remember my eighth birthday?" That was it. The twisting, squeezing feeling in her stomach faded a bit more. Elisa had told her this might happen, so she had suggested that Susan prove herself by reminding them of things that only the three of them would know.

Elisa stood back and watched as the family began to talk and remember. It was already going better than Maggie's brief meeting with her mother. _So far so good. They haven't run away screaming._ Elisa settled into an office chair in the next room. It had been difficult choosing a meeting place, but the small warehouse maintained by the police department, was the best choice given the circumstances. It was as close to neutral ground as they could get while still offering some protection, but without advertising their presence to everyone in the department. Elisa suppressed a sigh, as she prepared herself for what could become an ugly scene. All of them were nervous, Susan especially. The girl seemed to shift from fearful anticipation, worrying her lip and fretting, to a calm, almost tranquil state that might have been mistaken for acceptance by someone who had learned how to read people, usually suspects and victims, as well as Elisa had. The seeming acceptance worried her more, because she knew that was Susan lying to herself.

Acceptance couldn't come that quickly, and believing that it had was just setting herself up for a fall. She glanced over at them. They seemed to be doing well, but Susan was calm again. It worried her.

She had carefully chosen the small office for her vigil, giving the family space but staying close enough to intervene if there were problems or questions. There were bound to be questions.

OOOOOOOOOO

He was still at it when Fox Xanatos entered the gym. She had come by almost two hours earlier and found Sean taking out his frustrations on the various pieces of exercise equipment in the private gym. Understanding the need to vent, she had left him alone. The fact that he was still at it worried her a bit. Her worry grew when she saw what was left of the punching bag.

In the course of strenuous workouts it was entirely possible for a bag to be knocked down, the chain supporting it broken. Occasionally a bag would break open. The bag that used to hang in the corner was lying in several pieces around the room. The stuffing was spread liberally across the floor.

Sean himself was lifting free weights, weights she noted, that outweighed him by nearly 20 lbs. "Sean?" He started guiltily, nearly dropping the weights he'd been struggling with, and looked over at her. "Feeling better?"

"Huh?" he set down the weights, looking embarrassed by the mess he'd made.

"You're not the only one who enjoys taking out their frustrations on a punching bag," she assured him. "I've even broken a couple, although," she cast an appraising glance to the remains of the bag, "never quite this badly."

"Guess I'm still getting used to it," he apologized. "How strong I am… I mean."

"Not a problem," she assured him. "There's a lot of adapting to do. I guess we didn't think about this one, huh?"

"I-I'm a lot stronger than I used to be," he nodded. "I didn't mean to…" he looked helplessly at the bag.

"It's okay, but I think it would be a good idea to learn how to control that strength." _And the temper_, she added silently. "You know, Hudson taught the gargoyles how to fight, how to be warriors. I bet he could help you learn better control."

"Warrior?" He sounded intrigued despite himself. Fox suppressed a smile, not surprised he'd picked up on that. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"The training will help you learn control, and it'll help work out some of the frustration." At his suddenly guarded look she smiled and glanced at the bag again. "Just a wild guess."

"Okay," he agreed with a nod and a nervous chuckle. "I guess."

"Good I'll talk to Hudson when he wakes up." _Time to change the subject_. "Why don't we get something to eat? You must be tired after all that." He gave her an odd look she couldn't interpret, but he followed her.

Fox was concerned less with the damage than with what had triggered the violence. The kid certainly had reason to be upset, no argument there, but the way he chose to take out his frustrations was a little unnerving. Under normal circumstances a trauma even approaching the kind he and his sister had been through would call for intense therapy, but these were far from normal circumstances. Nevertheless, she found herself wondering what it would take to bring in a professional to help the children. For now the best she could offer was a sympathetic ear, assuming he'd talk to her, and comfort food.

Sean followed obediently, but wasn't sure what she was talking about. He'd only been at it a few moments and wasn't particularly tired. _Whatever_, he decided as his stomach growled at the prospect of food. Although he didn't require as much food as he'd needed right after the change, his metabolism having adjusted somewhat, he still had a hearty appetite. So he followed her to the kitchen. A glance at the clock stopped him in his tracks. It had been more than two hours since he'd entered the gym.

_I've been lifting weights for more than two hours?_ The thought alarmed him for some reason he couldn't quite place. He'd been upset and not really paying attention, but it seemed strange that so much time would pass without his noticing. It came to him after a moment's consideration. _I'm not tired. Two hours of that, and I'm not tired?_ The rumbling of his stomach distracted him before he could pursue the thought, and he set it aside, puzzled, but willing to write it off as a benefit of being turned into a monster.

OOOOOOOOOO

"It's not like I can go to school tomorrow like nothing's happened mom!" Susan was becoming agitated with her mother's insistence that everything was normal. Well not normal precisely, Susan amended to herself, but her mother seemed to want to treat the change as a minor problem, like a case of the flu. "I'd scare people."

"Well you certainly can't neglect your education dear," Irene Muller admonished. "Maybe we can arrange for private lessons for a while, but we can make arrangements. They'll have to accommodate you"

"Accommodate?" Her husband asked, a little disturbed by his wife's reaction to the situation. "It's not like she needs to ride the short bus!" His voice grew louder as his patience ebbed. They were all out of their depth, he realized, trying to reign in the irrational anger toward his wife, but they were still a family and should act like one. That meant supporting each other. _At least that's what all the TV shows say_, he thought a bit wildly. Susan wasn't helping.

"That's right. I can fly there." No, she definitely wasn't helping, not the sarcasm and not the tone that suggested his daughter was starting to feel like a trapped animal. Taking a deep breath, he tried again.

"Honey, even if the school were willing to admit her like this how would the other students react? How would the teachers react? You've seen the news about those Quarrymen lunatics. What do you suppose they would do if a gargoyle started going to school with their kids? We have to-"

"She's not a gargoyle!" Irene insisted, her voice edging toward hysteria. "This is something that was done to her. People will understand!" Father and daughter could tell by the pleading note in her voice that she didn't believe it. Both could understand her wanting to though. They both wanted to believe it themselves.

"The doctor said there might be a way to change me back, but… it's too soon to know for sure. He isn't sure how it was done."

"Well when will he know?"

More questions. More questions she couldn't answer. An inquisition was the last thing she needed. Why didn't her mother understand? "It's not that simple mom! I…I… It was an experiment, 12 years ago. I wasn't changed into a gargoyle. I'm half gargoyle. I can't believe I'm saying this…. The doctor captured a female gargoyle and experimented on her. He wanted hybrids, but Sean and I weren't what he wanted." She had told them this before, but it hadn't sunk in for her mother. _It hasn't sunk in for me either, but that's beside the point._ Her voice had risen a couple of notches and she tried to regain control. _I can do this_, she told herself. _I will be normal again. I just need time and I need them to understand!_

"So you're half-gargoyle," her father said slowly, not really grasping it either.

Susan nodded. "I even met my… biological mother." Irene paled slightly at this.

"What? What does she want?"

Susan let out a small laugh. "Nothing to do with us. That's what she wants." She thought a moment. Her biological mother hated her. That was okay though, cause her _real_ mother didn't. _She can't. She won't_. "She was experimented on. Raped. She doesn't want to be reminded of that." Irene seemed to consider that for a moment, and then nodded slowly. That made sense to her, even if the specifics were bizarre beyond her comprehension. No one was going to try to take her little girl away. That was what mattered.

Susan glanced at her father, and he took up the questions, doing his best to divert his wife from that disturbing topic. "Tell us about Sean. Why didn't you bring him along?"

"I wanted to," she answered honestly. Having Sean there would have been a comfort. _Why didn't I bring him?_ They didn't know each other well, it was true, but he had saved her life and had stuck by her side through everything that had happened. The reasons she had given Sean for going without him had sounded right at the time, but now she wished he were there. Forcing herself to focus on those reasons, to think helped calm her. "I thought that it might be too overwhelming. I mean isn't this enough of a shock?" Trying to lighten the mood was the wrong thing to do, especially when that damn quaver snuck into her voice again, the one that told everyone that she wasn't calm at all.

Her mother made a small distressed sound and started to pace. "You'll like Sean. He didn't even know me, but he helped me, stuck by me when I was panicking even though he was going through the same thing. You'll like him." That sounded good, she decided, because it was the truth. They would like him.

"And we look forward to meeting him," her father assured her. "I see no reason he can't come to stay with us."

"Y-yes of course," her mother nodded. "Bring him home with you!" Susan sighed. They weren't getting it. She couldn't go back the way she was. She said as much, as gently as she could. "Of course you can come home! What are you talking about?"

"Mom, people would treat me like a freak. I-I have to be normal again before I can go back to a normal life!"

"But-" Irene stopped, took a deep breath and considered. She wanted her baby home, safe and sound right away, but something stopped her, and she actually tried to picture Susan going to school, playing with her friends, doing normal things. The images wouldn't come. "They…they wouldn't let a gargoyle, or even someone who looked like a gargoyle attend school would they?" Susan shook her head. "You could still be at home though! We can arrange home schooling for you and Sean."

"And are they going to stay inside all the time?" The Mullers turned to face Elisa as she came out of the office. "I don't mean to interrupt or to pry, but you should consider the consequences for you and your daughter."

"What do you mean?"

"The Quarrymen may have been officially disbanded, but there are still a lot of people out there who share their beliefs. How long can you keep them a secret? If word gets out it could get to the press. The media would make things very difficult for you."

"Are you trying to say we can't see our daughter? That we have to give her up or something?"

"Not at all," Elisa shook her head. "You'll know where they are and you can come and visit them. They would be somewhere that reporters can't pry and people are less likely to accidentally discover them."

"Where would this be exactly?" Irene asked, shaken not only by Elisa's description of what might happen but also by her realization that it most likely would. She couldn't keep two gargoyle children in her house without someone finding out, sooner rather than later. If it wasn't a nosy neighbor, it would be a school official or child welfare worker. What if whoever discovered Susan's condition went to the press? She shuddered at the idea of a media circus on her front lawn. It might not get that bad, a small rational part of her brain asserted, but 'might not' wasn't good enough. She wouldn't risk her daughter's welfare on that.

"They can stay with the Manhattan gargoyles." She raised a hand to forestall objections. "Don't worry. They're good people. I've worked with them, and I trust them."

"You're taking a big chance just telling us that aren't you?" Chris Muller frowned thoughtfully. "You have to know that admitting that is a risk." Elisa nodded. "Gargoyles aren't really well accepted. They're vigilantes at best. For a cop to be working with them…."

Elisa nodded. "Yeah. I know, but neither of us have a lot of choice. They've been a tremendous asset to this city, saved many lives."

"You'll understand if I don't want my daughter involved in that? I'd rather she wasn't chasing muggers in Central Park." The attempt at humor fell flat. Elisa nodded gravely, fully understanding his concerns.

"She'll be kept out of harm's way."

The parents shared a meaningful glance. "We'll have to talk about this for a while." They moved off, leaving Susan with Elisa.

"I want to go home," Susan lamented, watching them.

"I know," Elisa sympathized. "If it helps… You're situation's not unique." Susan glanced up at her oddly. "You remember Derek and Maggie? You met them briefly this morning?" Susan nodded. "Derek's my brother."

"Wha-? How?"

"Sevarius," Elisa answered tiredly. She felt only a faint stirring of the hatred that the name usually aroused in her. It was just too much effort to hate at the moment. Sevarius would be captured soon and he would be made to pay for his crimes. That was sufficient, she told herself. It would have to be.

Susan nodded, needing no further explanation. The particulars weren't important. Elisa's brother had been turned into a monster. "He can't go home either," she spoke softly, but Elisa glanced at her, having heard perfectly, and nodded.

"He made a new home for himself, with other people like him. We've got a doctor working to change him back, but there's no telling how long it will take."

"He'll be able to won't he? I mean… he can change everyone back?"

"He's working on it," Elisa assured the worried girl. Susan needed distraction. "Don't ask me for details though. I can't spell a lot of the words he uses." She smiled ruefully, and got a small smile in return. Her parents approached, apparently having finished their talk. Irene Muller looked distraught but resigned. Chris Muller looked angry but equally resigned.

"There would have to be certain conditions."

"I understand. One of them has to be secrecy. The clan needs to be protected in this as much as your daughter and there are other people involved."

"Like you?" he guessed. Elisa nodded. "All right. It doesn't make much sense for me to go telling anyone when it could put my little girl at risk." Elisa nodded in agreement, and he took a deep breath, steadying himself for the inevitable. "Where do we go from here?"

NOT THE END


End file.
